I love airports and always have. They’re such a great place to people watch but for us in international business they are the embodiment of everything that we do. I was invited to John Lennon Airport this week by Neil Pakey of Peel Airports and had the opportunity to see one of our “Take it to the World” buses on the tarmac beside a KLM plane on one of its three daily journeys between Liverpool and Amsterdam. See below for a video we produced on the day which highlights the "Take it.." campaign and what UKTI's doing for NorthWest exporters. I hope it really hammers home the benefits of all that international travel!
Many firms have already used UKTI to help develop a plan and as I look around the airport I see a number of expectant businessmen nervously checking their figures, thinking of what pitch they’re going to give. How will that proposition sound in a different language and to somebody from an entirely different cultural background?
Maintaining international trade links has never been more important. The excellent transport infrastructure of the North West with two major airports makes this as great place to do business from and I urge more businesses to make use of their regional airports. Only a couple of weeks ago I flew to Dallas from Manchester via Amsterdam avoiding having to change in America and the time consuming security checks involved.
Selling is about developing and maintaining relationships and in exporting the added complication is that your customer is often a long way away. Although video conferencing, phone, email and the myriad of communication options available today will help, it’s impossible to beat meeting your customer in person and shaking them by the hand. That’s why airports are so important, not to mention the growth in air cargo – expected to more than triple by 2025. I love airports and I always will.